12 New (and New-ish) Books with a Texas Flavor

April 25, 2014 8:01 AM

Love Texas books? Then check out one of these recent reads. Photo-8872153.84579 - Houston Chronicle

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“Funny Once: Stories” by Antonya Nelson (Bloomsbury; coming in May).
In her seventh collection of short fiction, University of Houston professor Nelson take us to Texas, Colorado, New Mexico and Kansas. By way of rich, inventive prose, Nelson offers up aging characters who are still learning and still screwing up. The author of four novels, including 2010’s critically acclaimed “Bound,” Nelson is a masterful storyteller and singular wordsmith whose gritty, interior tales are comic and gut-wrenching — often at the same time. less

“Funny Once: Stories” by Antonya Nelson (Bloomsbury; coming in May).
In her seventh collection of short fiction, University of Houston professor Nelson take us to Texas, Colorado, New Mexico and Kansas. ... more

“The Last Kind Words Saloon” by Larry McMurtry (Liveright Publishing; coming in May).
A new Western from the Texas native and author of “Lonesome Dove” and other American classics, “The Last Kind Words Saloon” follows Sheriff Wyatt Earp and his close friend Doc Holliday as they travel to Tombstone, Ariz. Old West A-listers including Geronimo and Billy the Kid make guest appearances but, arguably, it’s the women who run the show, including Earp’s wife, Jessie, and Nellie Courtright, a telegraph operator turned newspaper reporter. less

“The Last Kind Words Saloon” by Larry McMurtry (Liveright Publishing; coming in May).
A new Western from the Texas native and author of “Lonesome Dove” and other American classics, “The Last Kind ... more

“Magnolia City” by Duncan W. Alderson (Kensington Books).
Set in Houston in the 1920s, Alderson’s debut novel was inspired by photos of his mother dressed as a flapper in 1920s Texas. In the novel, a descendant of the famous Allen brothers — who founded Houston — grooms his daughter, Hetty, to marry the heir to an oil fortune. Hetty, however, has dreams of her own. less

“Magnolia City” by Duncan W. Alderson (Kensington Books).
Set in Houston in the 1920s, Alderson’s debut novel was inspired by photos of his mother dressed as a flapper in 1920s Texas. In the novel, a ... more

“School Board” by Mike Freedman (Broken Levee Books/Chin Music Press).
Native Houstonian Freedman, a Green Beret who is just finishing his M.B.A. at Rice University, has also completed his first novel. “School Board,” a comic allegory set in Houston in 1999, follows the life of 18-year-old Tucker “Catfish” Davis, a self-proclaimed Populist and Houston school board candidate. less

“School Board” by Mike Freedman (Broken Levee Books/Chin Music Press).
Native Houstonian Freedman, a Green Beret who is just finishing his M.B.A. at Rice University, has also completed his first novel. ... more

“Body and Bread” by Nan Cuba (Engine Books).
Sarah Pelton mourns her brother Sam, who committed suicide years ago. As her surviving brothers prepare to sell the family’s tenant farm, Sarah must confront Sam’s secrets and piece together her family history in East Texas. Published last year, this debut novel from San Antonio author Cuba won the PEN/Southwest Books Award for Fiction and, earlier this month, the Texas Institute of Letters Steven Turner Award for best first published fiction. less

“Body and Bread” by Nan Cuba (Engine Books).
Sarah Pelton mourns her brother Sam, who committed suicide years ago. As her surviving brothers prepare to sell the family’s tenant farm, Sarah must confront ... more

“The Early Tales of Snow and Oakham” by Philip Chavanne (Xulon Press).
In this debut novel from Hill Country author Chavanne, orphans Henry Snow and Jack Oakham set out to discover their heritage. Their adventure-filled saga crosses five continents and asks timeless questions about fathers and sons and the steep price of forgiveness. less

“The Early Tales of Snow and Oakham” by Philip Chavanne (Xulon Press).
In this debut novel from Hill Country author Chavanne, orphans Henry Snow and Jack Oakham set out to discover their heritage. Their ... more

“The Ghosts of Emily Gray” by C. Keith Carpenter (Hollow Horse Publishing).
In this paranormal story by Dickinson writer Carpenter, Erin is the surviving identical twin of Emily, who was killed exactly one year before Carpenter’s story begins. Multiple apparitions of the dead teen haunt the family while Erin tries to cope with the guilt of Emily’s death. less

“The Ghosts of Emily Gray” by C. Keith Carpenter (Hollow Horse Publishing).
In this paranormal story by Dickinson writer Carpenter, Erin is the surviving identical twin of Emily, who was killed exactly ... more

“Lens on the Texas Frontier” by Lawrence Jones III (Texas A&M University Press).
In this glossy, coffee-table book, Jones showcases some of the photographs from the collection that bears his name at the DeGolyer Library of Southern Methodist University. Included are photos of the famous and the ordinary, of women and children, of city scenes and country scenes, of men in military uniform and American Indians on horseback. From tintypes to stereographs to large-format mounted photos, this collection of rare images stretches from the 1840s to 1900. less

“Lens on the Texas Frontier” by Lawrence Jones III (Texas A&M University Press).
In this glossy, coffee-table book, Jones showcases some of the photographs from the collection that bears his name at the ... more

“Many Rivers to Cross” by Thomas Zigal (Texas Christian University Press).
Published in 2013, Zigal’s novel just won the Texas Institute of Letters’ Jesse Jones Award for Fiction. Born in Galveston and raised in Texas City, Zigal writes about a Vietnam veteran who guides a homemade boat through the fetid waters of post-Katrina New Orleans in search of his stranded daughter and two grandchildren. less

“Many Rivers to Cross” by Thomas Zigal (Texas Christian University Press).
Published in 2013, Zigal’s novel just won the Texas Institute of Letters’ Jesse Jones Award for Fiction. Born in Galveston ... more

“The Texas Food Bible: From Legendary Dishes to New Classics” by Dean Fearing (Grand Central Life & Style).
Although Fearing hails from Kentucky and was trained in the classic French tradition, nearly four decades in Texas have given him a comprehensive education in Lone Star cuisine. From sauces and salsas, to tacos and tamales, to chili and bacon-jalapeño biscuits, the collected recipes range from classic to cutting edge. less

“The Texas Food Bible: From Legendary Dishes to New Classics” by Dean Fearing (Grand Central Life & Style).
Although Fearing hails from Kentucky and was trained in the classic French tradition, nearly ... more

“Recollections of a Tejano Life: Antonio Menchaca in Texas History,” edited by Timothy Matovia and Jesús F. de la Teja (University of Texas Press).
Billed as the first complete, annotated publication of the reminiscences of San Antonio native and Battle of San Jacinto veteran José Antonio Menchaca, this book paints a portrait of the lives of Tejanos during a critical point in Texas history. This first-person account includes Menchaca’s remembrances of Davy Crockett, Sam Houston, Antonio López de Santa Anna, and others. less

“Recollections of a Tejano Life: Antonio Menchaca in Texas History,” edited by Timothy Matovia and Jesús F. de la Teja (University of Texas Press).
Billed as the first complete, annotated publication of ... more

“River Royals Master the Mississippi” by Katie Clark and Sarah Wynne, illustrated by Penny Weber (Bright Sky Press).
From Houston authors Clark and Wynne comes a trip down the Mississippi via the imagination of a young girl named Eliza Jane. In this picture book for younger readers, Eliza Jane imagines tubing with her brother from Lake Itasca in Minnesota, where the Mississippi River begins, to New Orleans, near where the mighty river empties into the Gulf of Mexico. less

“River Royals Master the Mississippi” by Katie Clark and Sarah Wynne, illustrated by Penny Weber (Bright Sky Press).
From Houston authors Clark and Wynne comes a trip down the Mississippi via the ... more